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I had in mind to give my review of Steve’s official biography by Walter Isaacson and today seems like the right day to do that.*

I decided early in the Steve Jobs biography that I did not like him.

What was there to like? He abandoned his pregnant girlfriend and daughter, was a jerk to his parents and cried to get his way. He was a LSD freak in his younger days which, in my opinion, gave him that infamous bio-chemical personality – in other words he was a classic A-hole most of the time and he had no regard for how his A-hole-ness landed in the receiver’s universe. In fact, many times throughout the first 60% of the book I found myself saying out loud, “What an A-hole!” I almost stopped reading it a few times, but Walter Isaacson kept me on board by stringing changes of viewpoints with clever shifts in timeline which made the book interesting enough for me to stay with it.

I’m so glad I did because as the story unfolded, and I continued to learn of the life of Steve Jobs I became more and more enlightened on the subjects of business in general, the computer industry, Steve’s long-term love/hate relationship with Bill Gates, his affair with Joan Baez, his connection to Bill Clinton, his brotherhood with Steve Wozniak, and his wonderful wife and kids. But the most fascinating part was the person Steve Jobs evolved into.

Really.

Fascinating.

At the end I cried, and by the time I finally logged off my Kindle, I felt a deep love for the man who was nothing short of an innovative and creative artist who set out to change the world.

*I met a movie producer in July who suggested I read this book, so I did. (He also suggested I write a screen play for INTWINE. I insisted I couldn’t as I didn’t know how. He insisted I could because, as he put it, anyone who can write 300 page novels can and should write a screenplay. So I probably will — but that’s beside the point.)

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I have answered the age-old question: What came first the chicken or the egg? The answer is they came together. Every chicken contains an egg and every egg contains a chicken. And before you think I’m just being silly, consider this. If two people are in conflict and you look for where it started and who started it — the chicken or the egg — the truth is they both started it. Each side contains a responsibility for starting it because each contains a potential for sending something off the rails. So before you point a finger at someone else over some grievance, first ask yourself, “Am I the chicken, or the egg?” And you will have your answer. You’re welcome.

A few weeks ago, I was at The House of Blues in Los Angeles when Rival Tides hit the stage. The occasion was the release party for the band’s first EP called, Rival Tides.

Rival Tides are the real rock and roll deal. Their sound is a cross between Anberlin and Foo Fighters, yet they have a creative energy that is distinctly their own.

The members of the band (formally known as Harris Grade) are long time partners in music, but have reorganized under a new name. The band members are Robyn, Caleb, Alex, Jason and Greg. Recently I interviewed their bassist, Jason Friday. He’s second to left in this photo — the guy on the bottom.

Photo Credit: Alex Solca

Christina: What is the most rewarding part of being a performing artist?

Jason: It’s the reaction we get back from people when we play. There is a high to being on stage. Some people do drugs or whatever, but it could not possibly compare, because there’s nothing like creating all this yourself and people going, “YEAAAAAH!” It’s the best.

Christina: What is the toughest part of what you do?

Jason: Getting to that next level. You know, what if you’re established and doing all this but what if you don’t move anywhere?

Christina: What do you like about writing music?

Jason: The feeling you get from creating that one thing that you like that makes you go, oh my God, that was so cool! And then play it with the group and they add more — it changes but it gets better and even more creative.

Christina: When did you know you wanted to make music?

Jason: My dad was a drummer. There’s actually a picture of me at two years old sitting on his lap playing his drums. I don’t remember that moment but there was always music being made around me. Then something happened when I was eleven. I saw my second cousin playing guitar at his mother’s funeral, and he was singing. I thought, “What is this?” He said he would teach me but it never happened because tragically, three weeks later he had died. Then at thirteen my teacher’s husband showed me two simple blues chords and that was that! I saved my money, got an amp and guitar and I taught myself.

Christina: You’re completely self-taught?

Jason: I used to listen to my albums for five hours a day and learn the songs.

Christina: Was there a point when you said this is who I am and this is what I’m doing?

Jason: I was fifteen and I taught a good friend how to play drums. Then another friend said he was playing bass. We decided we had a real band, and this is what we wanted to do.

Christina: Is there an artist you really admire?

Jason: I remember hearing classic rock and listened to Led Zeppelin and bands like that. But I grew up in the punk era and when I heard Kris Roe of The Ataris I thought there was something about this music. There’s more emotion behind the lyrics and this meant something to me. I felt like I know this guy. It’s the band I’ve seen the most and I actually got to play on stage with them. They would call random people on stage to play a song with the band. Every concert I’d raise my hand but I never got picked. Then there was this one concert, and again I didn’t get picked. But then . . . they did something they never ever do. They called for a second volunteer to play a song that time. And it happened to be one of their obscure songs that I’m sure no one else knew how to play . . . except me. So I raised my hand — I don’t think anyone else did — and all my friends were pointing at me and yelling, “Yeah! This guy! Pick him!” and I actually got up and played with them! At the end Kris Roe said, “Dude! This guy plays this song better than I do!” That was the best!

Christina: Awesome! What’s next for the band?

Jason: Playing with more bands above us. They have the label and backing that we don’t have. Other than that we’ll keep on writing more songs, playing more music and reaching more people.

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Rival Tides is a LA band with a growing base of loyal fans. Check out their music video and links below.

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Some years ago I had the pleasure of visiting the home of Shakespeare. Few artists have influenced the human population for over four hundred years, but old William has, and he continues to touch our lives. The fact that he was a rock star in his own time is obvious since he had the ear of the most powerful person in his country, the Queen herself.

If you are not a fan because you find his poetry and prose too burdensome to decipher, despair not dear friend, for Shakespearean English is a language all in itself and so to appreciate him takes some work at first. But whether or not you take the time is up to you. We can at least appreciate some of his influence through these sayings which he first penned and we still hear and use today.